Rand Paul, Still in ‘Pain,’ Returns to Senate Ahead of Tax Debate

Senator Rand Paul said he plans to return to Washington on Monday, after he suffered broken ribs and a fluid buildup around his lungs in a November 3 altercation with a neighbor at his Kentucky home.

"While I’m still in a good deal of pain, I will be returning to work in the Senate today, ready to fight for liberty and help move forward with tax cuts in the coming days and weeks," Paul said in a Tweet.

The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to start debate Monday afternoon on a 247-page tax proposal released last week by Chairman Senator Orrin Hatch. That "conceptual mark" outlined by the Utah lawmaker has several key differences with a House plan -- notably the Senate’s call for completely ending deductions for state and local taxes -- and Paul has said he wants to ensure "everyone gets a cut."

Paul isn’t a member of the committee, though his vote will be closely watched as leaders work to craft a bill that can pass the Senate, which Republicans control by a 52-48 margin.

Rene Boucher, a neighbor of Paul’s, pleaded not guilty to a fourth-degree assault charge, the Associated Press reported Nov. 9.